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Abstract:

Large or macro planter structures for comparatively large plantings for
use in large spaces formed from planter modules, which planter structures
are assembled on-site with extremely large dimensions, e.g., several
hundred feet, to provide unusual and stunning visual effects and which
structures include lighted cladding walls which may also function as
lighted advertising displays visible from great distances owing to their
size.

Claims:

1. A modular structure unit for macro planter structures, said unit
comprising (a) a rigid skeletal rectangular parallelpiped frame having
four interconnected lower horizontal members defining a rectangular base,
vertical post means at the corners of the rectangular base, and at least
two upper horizontal members fastened to the vertical post means to
rigidify the same; (b) a molded plastic half-pipe shell mounted on said
frame, said half-pipe shell being generally semi-cylindrical in shape and
having open ends adapted to be aligned with similar pipes on contiguous
frames; (c) rectangular cladding wall panels affixed to said frame and
adapted to be aligned in butted relation with similar cladding wall
panels on contiguous wall panels on contiguous frames; (d) whereby a
series of units may be arranged and interconnected in longitudinal
relation to establish a macro planter structure of substantial length.

2. The modular unit of claim 1, in which (a) said half-pipe shell is of
corrugated construction including alternating semi-circular ribs and
troughs.

3. The modular unit of claim 2, in which (a) drainage ports are formed in
said ribs in spaced relation to the centers of said semi-circular ribs.

4. The modular unit of claim 1, in which (a) clip means attached to said
frame removably mount said cladding panels to said frame.

5. The modular unit of claim 4, in which (a) said cladding panels
comprise spaced pairs of interior and exterior panels, the exterior
panels are translucent, the interior panels are highly reflective; (b) an
LED light source is mounted between said spaced pairs of panels.

6. The modular unit of claim 5, in which (a) translucent top panel means
are mounted at the upper edges of said cladding panels to establish a
light chamber.

7. The modular unit of claim 1, in which (a) end cladding panels are
secured to said unit to establish a rectangular parallelpiped planter
structure.

8. An extra-long macro planter structure comprised of a series of
juxtaposed modular planter units, each planter unit including (a) a rigid
skeletal rectangular parallelpiped frame having four interconnected lower
horizontal members defining a rectangular base, vertical post means at
the corners of the rectangular base, and at least two upper horizontal
members fastened to the vertical post means to rigidify the same; (b) a
molded plastic half-pipe shell mounted on said frame, said half-pipe
shell being generally semi-cylindrical in shape and having open ends
adapted to be aligned with similar pipes on contiguous frames; and (c)
rectangular cladding wall panels affixed to said frame and adapted to be
aligned in butted relation with similar cladding wall panels on
contiguous wall panels on contiguous frames.

9. The macro planter of claim 8, in which (a) said half-pipe shell is of
corrugated construction including alternating semi-circular ribs and
troughs.

10. The macro planter of claim 9, in which (a) drainage ports are formed
in said ribs in spaced relation to the centers of said semi-circular
ribs.

11. The macro planter of claim 8, in which (a) clip means attached to
said frame removably mount said cladding panels to said frame.

12. The macro planter of claim 11, in which (a) said cladding panels
comprise spaced pairs of interior and exterior panels, the exterior
panels are translucent, the interior panels are highly reflective; (b) an
LED light source is mounted between said spaced pairs of panels.

13. The macro planter of claim 12, in which (a) translucent top panel
means are mounted at the upper edges of said cladding panels to establish
a light chamber.

14. The macro planter of claim 8, in which (a) end cladding panels are
secured to said unit to establish a rectangular parallelpiped planter
structure.

Description:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates generally to new and improved extra
large or macro planter structures for comparatively large plantings for
use in large spaces, which planter structures may be assembled on-site
into very large or macro planters of extremely long lengths, e.g.,
several hundred feet, to provide unusual and stunning visual effects. The
new and improved planter structures include lighted cladding walls which
may also function as lighted advertising displays visible from great
distances owing to their size. Alternatively, the new and improved
elongated planter structures, with or without lighting, may function as
highly decorative and attractive barriers for pedestrian and/or vehicular
traffic when established on busy streets or walkways.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] The planter state of the art in general as well as the specific
lighted planter art is described in several issued U.S. patents,
including: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,030,735 to Bodkins; 3,935,671 to Soot;
5,741,061 to Lehmann et al.; 5,951,151 to Carel et al.; D619,924 to
Jean-Pierre; and 7,805,885 to Luckett, as well as several published U.S.
patent applications, including: US 2001/0034974 to Cameron et al.;
2003/0140557 to Lyon; 2006/0026898 to Klaus; 2007/0101646 to Licht;
2009/0300984 to Gordon; and 2010/0175318 to Ahmadi. These publications
disclose various configurations of small or micro planters, some of which
have modularity of components, and some of which disclose systems of
illumination. However, there remains a need for macro planter units,
which may be arranged and combined into large and striking planter
constructions of hundreds of feet in length. The present invention
fulfills the need for such large scale units, which may be lighted for
special dramatic aesthetic effects.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[0005] In accordance with the present invention, a fundamental modular
planter unit is formed either off-site or on-site, by erecting a skeletal
rectangular parallelpiped frame, cube-shaped or elongated box-shaped,
from wooden, thermoplastic, or metal beams and posts. The key elements
are open-ended, molded high density polyethylene (HDPE) semi-cylindrical
pipes or shells which are mounted to the frames. Decorative cladding in
the nature of translucent plastic panels is attached to the frames to
complete the modular units. Advantageously, the use of semi-circular pipe
reduces the volume and weight of the planter when loaded with planting
soil and promotes enhanced root growth of supported plants. Moreover, use
of half-pipe reduces by approximately one third the amount of soil which
would otherwise be required to fill a rectangular parallelpiped shaped
container.

[0006] As a further aspect of the invention, the half-pipe shells are of
corrugated rib-trough construction, providing added strength by virtue of
the ribs as well as discrete spaced fluid reservoirs at the bottom of the
troughs. The maximum level or capacity of the reservoirs may be simply
established and controlled by drilled or molded drainage ports arranged
at predetermined levels and in predetermined numbers at and above the
bottom of the shells.

[0007] Importantly, the individual modular units are aligned and
interconnected with adjacent half-pipe shells coaxially aligned and
adjacent external cladding abutted to establish unitary planters of
extreme lengths of many hundreds of feet. The attendant visual effects of
such macro planters are extraordinary and are further enhanced by the
integral internal lighting of the cladding walls in accordance with the
invention.

[0008] As will be understood, the new macro planter constructions of the
invention may be utilized to display advertising as a supplement to their
basic functionality as planters. Importantly, the long planters may be
used as decorative substitutes for or as alternatives to common concrete
traffic barriers.

[0009] For a better appreciation of the new and improved modular planter
units and the macro planters formed from gauging the units, reference
should be made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a skeletal frame and
half-pipe shell elements of the new planter system;

[0011]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an assembled frame and half-pipe of
FIG. 1, making a planter;

[0012]FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the planter of FIG. 1
having spaced cladding walls;

[0013]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the planter of FIG. 3 including
installed internal LED lighting strips and exploded views of the mounting
hardware clips for securing the cladding walls;

[0014]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an empty assembled lighted planter
unit formed from a single module;

[0015]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the unit of FIG. 5 filled with
planting medium for supporting a tree;

[0016]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a single section of molded
half-pipe shell;

[0017]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of ganged sections of half-pipe shell
as used to establish extra-long rectilinear planters;

[0018]FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view of a series of modular units
ganged (ganged?) together to form a long rectilinear planter of length
determined by the total number of interconnected modular units;

[0019]FIG. 10 is an end view of the half-pipe shell of the present
invention;

[0020]FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of the half-pipe shell of the
present invention;

[0021]FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the half-pipe shell of the
present invention taken along lines 12-12 of FIG. 7; and

[0022] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the half-pipe shell of the
invention taken along line 13-13 of FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] Referring now to FIG. 1, the fundamental components of the new long
macro planter structures are modular units comprising an external
skeletal rectangular parallelpiped frame 10 and a generally cylindrical
half-pipe shell 20 supported directly in the frame 10. As will be
understood, the frames and half-pipe shells are adapted to be juxtaposed
end-to-end and interconnected to form long continuous planter structures,
of hundreds of feet as shown schematically in FIG. 9.

[0024] Specifically, the half-pipe shell elements are molded high density
polyethylene (HDPE) sized with a diameter D of approximately 32 inches,
length of approximately seven feet and depth of approximately 16 inches
for easy handling and storage. The dimensions of the shells 20 may of
course be varied without departing from the fundamental concepts of the
invention. Advantageously, the shells 20 are of corrugated construction
having a series of ribs 21 and troughs 22 between adjacent ribs defined
by cylindrical outer walls 23, cylindrical inner walls 24, and radial
walls 25 extending therebetween (see FIGS. 7, 10, 11, 12, 13). This shape
permits the shells to be stacked vertically in a nested relationship when
the individual modular planter sections are to be shipped to a site and
then erected in situ in the desired extra-long length.

[0025] The frames 10 are of simple structure having a straightforward
rectangular base of two longitudinal legs 11, 12 joined to two transverse
legs 13, 14 by screws 30. Four vertical posts 15, 16, 17, 18 are fastened
to the base by screws 31. The frame 10 is completed and reinforced by
upper longitudinal members 32, 33 fastened to posts 15, 17 and 16, 18 by
screws 34. The legs and posts may be formed of wooden members, rigidified
plastic members, or metal members. The posts 15-18 are arranged to both
support the individual shells 20 and to permit end-to-end abutment of
contiguous frames 10 and shells 20.

[0026] The shells 20 include web portions 36, 37 which are fastened to the
upper surfaces of the frame 10 by screws 38, 39 to complete an individual
planter 40 as shown in FIG. 2, and comprising the fundamental elements of
a module for creating extra-long "macro" linear planters 100 (FIG. 9) of
lengths more than several hundred feet, each module comprised of a
half-pipe shell 20 supported by a skeletal frame 10. The short planter 40
of FIG. 2 is exemplary of the fundamental elements found in the "macro"
planter 100 of the invention comprised of a large series of frames 10 and
shells 20 juxtaposed end-to-end as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. The planters
40 and 100 are clad, in accordance with the invention, with vertical
outer panels 50 of translucent plastic arranged in spaced relation with
inner reflective or opaque panels 51 to form a circumscribing light box
53 closed at its top by horizontal translucent panels 52 (FIG. 5 and FIG.
9).

[0027] More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, upper and lower L-shaped
clips 60 are fastened at their distal ends to the frame 10, the bent ends
61 of the clips engaging and securing the cladding panels 50, 51 to the
frame 10. The translucent panels 52 are secured by epoxy cement (not
shown) to the upper edges of the panels 50, 51. An LED lighting strip 70
is supported by mounting plates 71 internally of the light box 53 to
light the exposed outer cladding panels of the planter. This interior LED
lighting which may be multicolored and programmed to change periodically,
provides special visual effects as will be appreciated. Moreover, the
panels 52 may bear artwork or be stenciled to provide further visual
effects and/or messaging for use in advertising applications or in
traffic management applications.

[0028] As will be understood, the planters of the invention, whether
formed as a single unit such as in FIGS. 1-5 or multiples ganged together
in series such as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 are filled with growing medium
such as enriched soil 90 (FIG. 6 and FIG. 14) to support and to nurture
growing plants P.

[0029] As a further specific aspect of the invention, the planter shells
20 are provided with a series of drainage ports 80 formed in the ribs 22
above the shell bottom to limit the amounts of water accumulation in the
shells when the contained plants are irrigated. The number, location, and
size of the ports 80 may be customized to suit the amount of moisture to
be retained in the planters which is dictated by the requirements of
flora to be grown in a particular planter. Bottom drainage ports 81 are
also included as a control of the water accumulation during plant
irrigation. While not shown, automatic irrigation piping may be readily
incorporated into the macro planters by virtue of the open shells being
arranged end-to-end. Water flow in the shells 20 is indicated by arrows
in FIGS. 12 and 13.

[0030] As a particular advantage of the new planter, the troughs 22 and
semi-circular shape thereof promote concentrated and healthy root growth
as shown in FIG. 14. Moreover, the use of cylindrical half-pipe shells,
rather than box-like soil containers, reduces the total weight of loaded
planters by approximately one third and reduces the amount of growing
medium and irrigation required for the planters which are rectangular
parallelpiped in appearance ("coffin"-shaped) but internally
semi-cylindrical in soil-holding, plant-retaining configuration.

[0031] As an important feature of the invention, new and improved lighted
planters 100 (FIG. 9) of extra-long lengths may be assembled utilizing
the fundamental building blocks of semi-cylindrical shells 20, skeletal
parallelpiped frames 10, and wall panels 50, 51 secured to the frames 10
by simple clips 60. To produce a planter 100 of a length determined by
the multiple of the number of shells employed, the shells 20 (supported
in frames 10) are juxtaposed end-to-end as shown in FIG. 8, with
congruent gaskets or gasket material 91 sandwiched between contiguous
ends of the shells to establish tight joints. Skeletal frames 10 for the
shells are formed from the frame elements shown in FIG. 1, with the
posts, longitudinal, and transverse members specifically arranged to
accommodate end-to-end juxtaposition of frames 10 to form a continuous
support of the juxtaposed shells 20 therein. The juxtaposed abutted
frames are secured to one another by screws or fasteners (not shown) in
conventional fashion. The extra-long planters 100 are clad in the manner
of the planter of FIG. 1 with exterior panels 50, 51 secured by clips 60
to the frames 10. With one or more LED strips 70 extending for the length
of planter 100, the resulting visual display of lighted housing for
hundreds of feet of plants is spectacular. While primarily intended as a
support for a long line of plants, the macro planter 100, especially when
lighted, may be used to create unique advertising or promotional displays
when erected on rooftops. Alternatively, the planter units 100 may be
used in highly trafficked (vehicular or pedestrian) areas to control flow
while providing stunning visual effects, advertising and/or traffic
information directions.

[0032] It should be understood, of course, that the specific form of the
invention herein illustrated and described is intended to be
representative only, as certain changes may be made therein without
departing from the clear teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly,
reference should be made to the following appended claims in determining
the full scope of the invention.